5 replies to this topic

[Gaz66]

I need to remove the idler gear and 1st motion shaft end race from the side case but dont have a slide hammer/ puller.
Is there a trick for doing this before I buy the puller kit?

[DeadSquare]

I have seen too many ruined transfer cases, where people have tried to dig the bearing out with a screwdriver.

 

To avoid heart-ache, 1) Find someone competent with an extractor.    2)  Buy the kit.  3) Make an extractor out of a substantial set screw.

[Spider]

Don't heat the case.

 

Here's the factory advice;-

 

 

I have seen the later results of many Housing that have been heated to change these bearings and it's not nice, they ended in tears.

 

Before I had the tools, for the Idler Gear Bearing, I picked the Needle Rollers and Cage out, then carefully ground 2 slots in the Bearing Shell using a Dremal, being careful to get the shell paper thin, but not break through, then implode the Shell by hand with a small screw driver. Don't use a hammer here, as if you need to do that, then where you have ground it isn't yet thin enough and should the screw driver slip, you'll make a nice hole in the case.

 

I did the same with the Outrigger Bearing, only with that one, there's no needles to remove, but there is the circlip to take out.

Be prepared, this will take some considerable time to do and be patient.

I have read where others have used grease and a socket.

 

Way way back when I started doing gearboxes, the only manufacturer of the tools was available were Sykes and Pickervant, they were quite expensive, I did save up and buy the particular sizes I needed in the internal collet tools and then fitted some all thread, using a pipe over the outside of it all, I wind them out on a nut. I have had these tools almost 40 years now and done good knows how many since, They also fit the Bearings and Bushes in the Suspension Arms. Now days though, the cost of these is much cheaper, however, there's also loads of knock off sets available, one member here sent me an ebay link and I think the sets there were under 20 quid - and they included the slide hammer. I would strongly recommend having a look for one such set.

[nicklouse]

I used grease some paper towels and a socket.

[Icey]

I’ve done…6 of these? Maybe 7, I forget. But it does take some heat to get things moving now this stuff is getting old and crusty.

I can well understand that if you’re heavy handed with something like an acetylene torch how you can damage the housings but with a standard butane blow lamp you can safely (read: gently) warm up the housing enough to allow pullers to work. Key to it is not using the hottest part of the flame and not dwelling in single area too long.

I bought the original BMC tool for the 1st motion bearing and a generic blind bearing puller for the idler bearing. The latter was just a cheap (£40) set (comes with a slide hammer, but I use the threaded puller), and it does show. If I were doing this professionally I’d invest in a better kit but this setup is good enough for my use.

Edit:
The worst one I’ve done, nothing would move the 1st motion bearing - heat, violence, nothing! I ended up very carefully cutting it with a dremel.

Edited by Icey, 04 May 2023 - 08:48 PM.

[coopertaz]

heated one of these gently in oven (other half was not impressed) and that worked but since then used dremmel with burr on then, as above, implode with small chisel